Now this is a truly innovative idea!
The bus is electric and solar powered so it's green and has no emissions.
It can travel at 60km per hour and carry 1200 people.
It is 6m wide and spans traffic lanes. Cars can travel underneath it. So it doesn't cause traffic jams. In fact it can drive over top of traffic jams.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/669166

OK, so it hasn't been built yet. But construction of the first 115 miles of tracks will begin this year. It is estimated to be finished within one year. So by the end of 2011 we'll know how well it works. Maybe they'll start using them in other places.

tranniversary119

04-08-10, 00:45

I don't know if I'd feel safe driving under that :p.

Minty Mouth

04-08-10, 00:45

I'm not an automobile expert, but that really doesn't look navigable :p

Rai

04-08-10, 00:58

So it runs on tracks, like a tram? It looks like a moving tunnel :p

Alpharaider47

04-08-10, 01:02

Made in China though right? Not sure I trust it enough to drive underneath it in that case... :whi:

xXhayleyroxXx

04-08-10, 01:04

Yeah I wouldnt trust that :p

digitizedboy

04-08-10, 01:06

That's a train, not a bus! It runs on tracks. Plus buses can stop anywhere. Unless you want to get out of this one with a 7+ ft drop. lol

Just think of it as driving under a tunnel...that moves..it looks awesome!! :jmp:

Lara's Nemesis

04-08-10, 01:07

Looks like a great idea to me, wish we had them here. I always seem to be getting stuck behind buses.

ThatNorskChick

04-08-10, 01:09

That would scare the hell out of me if that thing suddenly wooshed overhead while I was driving!

Rai

04-08-10, 01:09

If it's guaranteed to run on time, I'm all for it :whi:

interstellardave

04-08-10, 01:13

I don't see what prevents people from being in it's way... or crashing into it from inside, or out. In fact it seems the threat of accident would be much greater than it is with a normal bus. I suppose the artists concept drawing is missing details about what keeps it away from traffic and vice-versa.

digitizedboy

04-08-10, 01:16

^ yeah that's true. What's to stop a vehicle crashing into the side of it's wheels and derailing it somehow?

Or how about a massive pile up underneath it? That would be nasty.

TombRaiderFan.

04-08-10, 01:17

They've got so many people they don't know where to fit them anymore. :p

Seems like a crazy idea, but most great inventions always begin as crazy ideas.

Lara's Nemesis

04-08-10, 01:20

Don't think you will achieve many high speeds in a car going through Bejing so it should be safe.

ozzman

04-08-10, 01:21

i want one where i live, going from my house uphill to the mall, as i can't and won't drive [i have fear of collision]

Tonyrobinson

04-08-10, 01:23

They have 3D with no glasses, holograms, androids, hover crafts and this...

Why the hell is Asia so industrialised compared to everywere else!

just croft

04-08-10, 01:29

metro system feels safer and better...

Dark Lugia 2

04-08-10, 02:54

More like a moving tram! :P nice idea though, I love it!

scoopy_loopy

04-08-10, 02:58

That is such a good idea!

]{eith

04-08-10, 03:01

Looks awesome. And scary too.

freeze10108

04-08-10, 03:10

Okay, so if I were traveling under that "bus" and wanted to turn, would I have to wait for it to "pass" me or speed up to "pass" it? And like interstellardave said, it only takes one inattentive driver to swerve a little bit in their lane to screw over the "bus."

WCookie

04-08-10, 03:15

That's an excellent place to hide your car whenever it's raining.

MattTR

04-08-10, 03:21

I hope they can pull it off, looks truly awesome! :eek:

It does seem dangerous though.. but I bet China has safer drivers then here in the states anyway! :vlol:

scoopy_loopy

04-08-10, 03:58

Okay, so if I were traveling under that "bus" and wanted to turn, would I have to wait for it to "pass" me or speed up to "pass" it? And like interstellardave said, it only takes one inattentive driver to swerve a little bit in their lane to screw over the "bus."

That logic is slightly screwy, if they were to hit the borders of their lane, they'd be likely to hit oncoming traffic anyway.

patriots88888

04-08-10, 04:01

That's an excellent place to hide your car whenever it's raining.

Or escape from the fuzz. :p

TheBloodRed

04-08-10, 04:07

And I already flip **** when tractor trailors come up from my blind spot all loud and burly...

Imagine just driving along and one of these things come whizzing by.... yeah, I'd **** my pants too!

Drone

04-08-10, 04:17

nice shelter

freeze10108

04-08-10, 05:18

That logic is slightly screwy, if they were to hit the borders of their lane, they'd be likely to hit oncoming traffic anyway.

What oncoming traffic? Did you look at the second picture? :confused::

Lizard of Oz

04-08-10, 05:26

Cute idea, darling,

Although it does seem a bit risky. I would totally drive under there but with extreme caution.

star-dust

04-08-10, 05:39

It sounds like a good idea... I don't know about the fact though that it says only cars up to 2 meteres high can pass under... so what if there's a semi or something? But it could be the wave of the future. :)

sandygrimm

04-08-10, 06:12

Well, we know where the world will start the new tech age from :p
Awesome :cln: Practical, no extra room needed for rail. Perfect for Their countries with high traffic.

just*raidin*tomb

04-08-10, 07:02

Made in China though right? Not sure I trust it enough to drive underneath it in that case... :whi:

I know right? :p

This is so weird man. The future is coming fast. :eek:

Cochrane

04-08-10, 14:20

It is quite an interesting idea, although I think it may be wrong to label this as a bus. From the looks of it, this is meant as a cheaper alternative to an elevated railroad or monorail.

The main problem I see with it is that it is, after all, not fully grade separated. That is what makes it cheaper than alternatives, but it is not fully free of traffic influence. If there are still cars on an intersection when oneís own lights turn green, this thing cannot enter it any more than a normal bus can. It has to be a lot cheaper than other means of transportation, such as a subway, to justify construction in these circumstances.

There are some detail issues, of course, which will have to be solved, but I think they can do that. What I wonder about most is the skylight stairway. There is no experience with that kind of thing anywhere yet, as far as I know. The issue will be to get people to leave the stairwell so that the doors can be closed. The other issue is passenger flow, and of course itís not accessible.

laralover_07

04-08-10, 14:33

How does it turn a corner?

Cochrane

04-08-10, 14:39

How does it turn a corner?

Other pictures and videos show an articulated version.

larson n natla

04-08-10, 14:43

It looks really great I was in Shanghai the week before last and I'd say it is a great idea getting to the expo took 30 mins and it was like a 5 min drive without traffic apparently!

:tmb:

Trigger_happy

04-08-10, 15:36

I wouldn't drive anywhere near the bloody thing- its terrifying!

And I love how all these electric cars and things are portrayed as so much cleaner and "no emissions", when that's a lie. How do they get powered if there's no emissions ever? It just puts more strain on power stations and the mains grid.

Capt. Murphy

04-08-10, 16:12

I can only see a problem at intersections... Like if someone is under this bus but they want to make a turn... or perhaps they miss it because they didn't see it - because their view was blocked.

Then again, I suppose all this could be worked around. Just slow down, and have a sign that lights up inside saying they're approaching whichever street.

Cochrane

04-08-10, 17:45

And I love how all these electric cars and things are portrayed as so much cleaner and "no emissions", when that's a lie. How do they get powered if there's no emissions ever? It just puts more strain on power stations and the mains grid.

Sure, but separating the use of energy from its creation is the interesting part. You can power an electric train or trolley bus with power generated at a dam, a solar power plant, with wind energy, whatever you want. None of those are realistic option for powering a bus directly, though.

Antonio

04-08-10, 18:12

Chinese really knows how to make crazy ideas, I'm so curious how it works.

ultima espio

04-08-10, 18:25

Chinese really knows how to make crazy ideas, I'm so curious how it works.

Only in China could this have been thought of:p

Antonio

04-08-10, 18:28

Only in China could this have been thought of:p

Indeed!!:p

Avalon SARL

04-08-10, 18:53

It is much safer to build one huge bridge above the current roads than to drive under that :D

Man, it's CHINESE :p

TRexbait

04-08-10, 20:22

What happens when someone wants to make a turn at an intersection but can't because they're still in the tunnel? :confused:

Avalon SARL

04-08-10, 20:34

What happens when someone wants to make a turn at an intersection but can't because they're still in the tunnel? :confused:

Excellent Point...it is very imaginary to execute :tmb:

Cochrane

04-08-10, 20:51

It is much safer to build one huge bridge above the current roads than to drive under that :D

Sure, but also much more expensive.

Super Badnik

04-08-10, 20:55

I'm not an automobile expert, but that really doesn't look navigable :pYeah, It's gonna be screwed when it reaches a corner.

Dark Lugia 2

04-08-10, 22:23

What happens when someone wants to make a turn at an intersection but can't because they're still in the tunnel? :confused:

I guess they'll have to stop, indicate and wait for the bus to pass over :p That would halt the traffic a little I guess

Dustie

05-08-10, 09:53

Isn't it easier to just build tracks over the highways and use regular trains? It still seems like a more flexible solution...

igonge

05-08-10, 10:11

...lol

Cochrane

05-08-10, 10:30

Isn't it easier to just build tracks over the highways and use regular trains? It still seems like a more flexible solution...

I am fairly certain that they invented this precisely to avoid what you propose. This system requires only a guidance system in the road, electricity supply and elevated stations. An elevated railroad or a monorail also needs an electricity supply and essentially same kind of station, but additionally also more structures in the highway, as poles for the bridges, and on top of that long, heavy bridge constructions. Those bridges will need maintenance, which does not come for free. On the other hand, this system requires more expensive vehicles and more maintenance for these vehicles, but it can, overall, be cheaper, depending on where you want to use it.

A true railroad system is almost always going to be better in the long term, because you can also include tunnel sections (quite a bad idea here due to the large cross-section), tracks separate from normal traffic (again bad here, would leave a lot of unused room) and using normal train tracks on sections (utterly impossible here). But a light rail system, especially with elevated or underground parts, does not come cheap at all. If all major destinations on your route are somewhere along or close to at least a four-lane highway, and you donít have a lot of money right now, then this can be a cost-efficient alternative. If it works, of course, which has yet to be proven.